Corn-planter



'l'. K; ALEXANDER,

Som-Iimitantl No. 43,559. .Pamesa July '19. '1864.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

THOMAS ALEXANDER, 0F DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,559, dated July-1.9, 1864.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known thatLTHoMAs K.ALEXANDER, ot' Decatur,'in the county of Macon and State ot' Illinois, have inventeda new and Improved Corn-Planter; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear,'and exact description ot' the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specitication, in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal verticalv section of the seed-distributing mechanism, the line as fr, Fig. 3, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the corn-planter, taken in. the plane indicated by the line yy, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of the saine. Fig. 4 is a transversevertical section ot' the double valve in the discharge-tube detached, the line z z, Fig. l, indicating the plane ot section.

Similar letters of reference in the several views indicate corresponding parts.

This inventionrelates to an improvement in that class of corn-planters in which the Iseed is discharged by the action ot' a double-acting slide simultaneously from two hoppers iu fur-- rows opened by sleigh-runner-shaped shares, and covered by two broadI wheels with flat faces.

The nature of my invention and its peculiar advantages will be readily understood from the followin g description.

A represents a frame made ot wood or any other suitable material, and composed of tlivo parts, A andA,which are connected by hinges a. The front part, A', consists of twocrossbeams a" a'i,which are united by the draft-pole B and by the runners O. The runners C extend beyond the rear edge of the cross-bar aii, and their front parts form curved colters,which serve to open the ground and to cut through.

weeds and other obstructions; t Their rear ends are provided with dan ged mold-boards b,which are secured to the outsides ofthe runners, and which throw the dirt toward the outside. The width of the furrow is determined by the obl lique position of these mold-boards and by the distance between their rear ends and vthose of the colter-plates. The mold-boards'are curved in apeculiar manner,so that theyare self-clean; mg. A

D D are two hopper-boxes, which are, supported by the rear ends of the runners. The seed or corn contained in these hoppers is discharged by the action of slides E, to4 which a reciprocating motionis imparted simultanef ously by a hand-lever, F. Each of these slides is composed of two essential platese e', the outer or main plate, c, being provided with a recess, ci, to receive 'the inner or gage plate, c', andthe two plates are connected by a screw, c",which vworks in a'slot, so that the gage-plate pleasure. By these means the seed-cells e3 can be enlarged or diminished at pleasureY AOn bef ing discharged from the seed-cells the seed drops into a tube, G,which is provided with a valve, g. This valve swings on a rock-shaft, g', and its upper end catches into a recess in the seed-slide, so that an oscillating motion is imparted to it-by the action of the seed-slide. The lower'part ofthe valve branches oft in two wi n gs, git, `(see Fig.4,) which form springs, and as the seed-slides are moved backward and forward these springs forincushions which prevent the slidesworhing up solid against the hoppers, spraining the wrist of the man who operatesthe slides. The lower edges ofthe elastic wings or springs g* are scalloped or W- scattered on,the ground and prevented from dropping in a pile. 'The tubes G Gr extend down from the hop'pers in the space between the rear ends of the colter-plates and moldited without'fail at every stroke of the slideir the furrow drawn by the runners. The two hoppers areconnected bythe cross'bar Dit, which is perforated with suitable holes to ad mit the hand-lever F.

The hinges a,which connect the two parts A' A of the frame, are situated forward of the hoppers and main weight of the runners, so that by the joint the runners are enabled to follow the uneven ground without effect on the rollers or covering-wheels H. By means of the of the ground-in going from one field to another orin turning. The rear part ofthe frame, which is supported by the axle ofthe coveringwheels, is provided with two handles, Lwhich enable the driver to govern the motion and position' ot' the planter while he is" walking on the ground. Q

J is the drivers seat, which extends behind the rollers 'or coveringwheels, and a springhook,K,which is secured tothe upper surface c' can be adjusted backward and forward at4 shaped, so that the seed striking the points is boards, so that they are fully protected, from clogging up by the dirt, and the seed is deposjoint the plows can also be raisedentirely out.

of the drivers seat,rbears down upon the crossbar Dit, connecting the two hoppers, and hy this spring-hook the relative position of the t-Wo parts A A of lthe frame toward each other is governed. It' the driver slides back on the seat so as to throw his weight oli the rollers, the front partof the frame is tilted until the edge ofthe cross-har D* strikes the hook K, and the sameobject can be accomplished by hearing down on the handles I. ln planting the driver will Walk and direct the mot-ion and the position ofthe planter by the handles, in order to make th work easier for the draftaniinals.

The covering-wheels are kept clean by rsera-pers L.- secured to the under surface of the rear crossbar ot' the frame.

The operation of this planter is very easy. It can be readily adjusted for seed of different kind, and all its parts are so constructed that the same do not readily get out of repair.

What I claim as new, andv desire to secure by LetterslPatent, is

The spring-hook K, in combination with the hinges a, connecting,` the two parts ofthe frame A, as and for the purpose specified.

` THOS. K. ALEXANDER.

Witnesses:

` '0. C. STAFFORD,

I.'C.M1LLsPAUGH. 

